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From the book: The Challenge of the Christian Theology and more...
of Ewald Frank |
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The rock
The Lord asked His disciples, »Who do men say that I, the
Son of man, am?« (Mt. 16: 13 b). Different answers were
given by the people. The Apostle Peter received a divine
revelation and therefore could give the right answer, »Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living God.« (v. 16). The
concern is this revelation, not its explanation. »And Jesus
answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona;
for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my
Father, who is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church …«
(vv. 17-18). The Lord did not say, »… and upon you, Petros
(= a stone) …«, but rather: »… upon this rock (=Petra, a
massive rock) I will build my church.« That is the actual
rock-revelation Peter received, namely, that Jesus Christ is
that rock. How could the Lord build His Church upon a man he
had to rebuke only four verses later?
The Lord Himself is the rock in the Old and the New
Testament, and no one else. Thus it is written, »For who is
God, save the Lord? Or who is a rock, save our God?« (Ps.
18: 31). Peter confessed Christ to be that rock »… the same
is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offence, even to them who stumble at the word,
being disobedient; whereunto also they were appointed.« (1
Pt. 2: 6-8). Paul refers to Christ as the spiritual rock Who
was smitten by Moses and accompanied Israel (1 Cor. 10: 4).
According to the Scripture Christ is the rock and the chief
corner stone upon which the New Testament Church is founded.
Peter and members of the true Church, who are truly born
again and therefore became sons and daughters of God, are
built as living stones upon the original foundation (1 Pt.
2: 1-10 a. o.). This is according to the plan of salvation
from the very beginning and will continue until the end of
the age of grace. The same authority to bind and to loose
which the Lord had given to Peter, He immediately gave to
the whole Church according to Mt. 18: 18. What He spoke to
Peter He later said to the whole Church. Speaking to Peter
He said, »And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom
of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be
bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.« ( Mt. 16: 19), but then in
plural, »Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in
heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven.« (Mt. 18: 18).
The words of the Lord to Peter in Mt. 16 have remained a
general belief with all that preach the Gospel. It was Pope
Leo I (440-461) who suddenly claimed to be the successor of
Peter and therefore could have the pre-eminence as the
Bishop of Rome; he took this office for himself. Not one of
the church fathers in the first centuries ever made such a
claim, not even Athanasius or Augustine.
The journeys of Peter and Paul are written in the Bible in
great detail. But there is never a record of Peter having
visited Rome. It was Leo I who imagined him there, so he
could claim this great position for himself. So the legend
of Peter being a Pope and having spent time in Rome has
become a tradition without scriptural support. Paul has
written a number of letters to the church in Rome; in one he
at the end mentions 27 persons by name. He also from Rome
wrote most of his letters to the assemblies and individuals,
but Peter was not mentioned throughout all these years a
single time. There is no record of Peter having written to
the church at Rome, and of course not from there to others.
Also in this point we find a suitable church invention. The
Bible knows nothing about an Apostolic See, about a vicar of
Christ. All that is self-made tradition without scriptural
foundation.
Especially since the state church came into existence in the
4th/5th century after Christ, various teachings and
practices were invented which sprang from the minds of men
and from false inspiration. The confessional box and the
practice of the church to remit sins are also fabrications.
The utterance of our Lord used for justification does not
apply, »Whosoever’s sins ye remit, they are remitted unto
them; and whosoever’s sins ye retain, they are retained.« (Jn.
20: 23). This statement has nothing to do with the remission
of sins, which everyone personally receives from God by
believing in Jesus Christ. Only if someone has sinned
against us we should forgive him or her. For instance, if
someone is commissioned to proclaim the Gospel and somebody
sins against him, that can be forgiven. But if the person
has sinned against the Holy Spirit working through a servant
of God, that cannot be forgiven. Jesus our Lord said, »Verily
I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of
men, and blasphemies with which they shall blaspheme; but he
that shall blaspheme against the Holy Spirit hath never
forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation« (Mk. 3:
28-29). Such sin a servant of God cannot forgive. Whoever
sins against the Holy Spirit falls under God’s judgement. No
one should take this lightly, for God is not to be mocked.
Furthermore, every testimony in the Holy Scriptures,
including the great commission, regardless to whom it was
addressed, is to be for all those commissioned by the Lord.
Also if someone speaks under false inspiration, what Jesus
said to Peter still applies.
Whoever reads Mt. 16 will find that shortly after the
confession of Peter he was reprimanded sharply, »Get thee
behind me, Satan. Thou art an offence unto me; for thou
savorest not the things that are of God, but those that are
of men.« (v. 23).
When the Apostle spoke under divine inspiration the Lord
praised him, when he later spoke in an argumentative way he
became a trap and received the rebuke. God permitted it for
our benefit, so no one would make Peter into something
special. To those who come with human arguments without
revelation the second utterance does apply. There are those
who understood what the Lord said, others misunderstood and
gave a wrong interpretation. Those who have experienced the
Lord personally, to them He has revealed Himself. They knew
Him and had fellowship with Him. To those who only heard and
spoke about Him, He remains hidden, strange and far removed.
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